Another ton for Mr Reliable means Paul Collingwood has risen from the Ashes

Hitting out: No mercy is shown by Paul Collingwood in the build-up for greater Tests that lie ahead

Paul Collingwood started his Ashes Test experience derided by the
Australians as the man who earned the cheapest gong in British history.

But his 10th Test hundred here yesterday, as England racked up a
massive 599 for six declared to take full control of the first Test
against Bangladesh, suggests he may travel Down Under this autumn as
the batsman England simply cannot do without.

At the time Collingwood was awarded his MBE, along with the rest of
the 2005 Ashes winners, the 33–year-old Durham man was not so much
underrated by the Aussies as just not rated at all.

Indeed, next time he met up with them, at the start of Australia's
5-0 revenge mission in 2006-07, Shane Warne summed up their feelings by
asking Collingwood whether the initials stood for 'Must Be
Embarrassing'.

One or two others went so far as to ask if he was in the side
because he was skipper Michael Vaughan's best mate and golfing partner.

Bearing in mind his meagre contribution to England winning the urn
was one appearance in which he made seven and 10, those sledges may
have been understandable.

But even after he made his career best 206 in the second Test of
their doomed defence of it in Adelaide, he ended it again the object of
their pantomime scorn - this time for getting stuck in a second innings
implosion which enabled Australia to win a seemingly unwinnable match.

All the while Collingwood blocked England towards survival in the
first Test of last summer's Ashes in Cardiff, Ricky Ponting took every
opportunity to keep that ghastly memory uppermost in his thoughts.

Now, however, riding on the form of his career to pass 4,000 runs in the process of compiling 145 and a fifth-wicket stand of 184 with Ian Bell, Collingwood not only has the experience of a second Ashes win to shield him from the jibes, he also believes his record deserves to be taken seriously by the very best.

'This was a special innings for me,' he said. 'For me to reach 10 Test centuries is something I could never have dreamed of when I started. People might comment about the standard of the opposition, but all I'm interested in is scoring runs.

'Maybe it's because I'm not the prettiest batsman to look at, but throughout my career there have been times when I was most people's idea of the next man to drop.

'I had a terrible home series against New Zealand in 2008 and I know that if I hadn't scored that big hundred in the next series against South Africa at Edgbaston I was finished.

SCOREBOARD

Bangladesh 154-5

Swann 14-4-40-3

England 599-6 dec

Cook 173, Collingwood 145

'I made a conscious decision to try to hit the ball harder and concentrated on being a run-scorer rather than a batsman. And by doing that I gained the confidence to help me play those rearguard knocks, like in Cardiff in the first Test against Australia and at Centurion Park.

'I feel I've played some innings this year that have been worth hundreds, so I'll take this any day. There is some massive cricket coming up and any success we have against Bangladesh will all be for the good when it comes to playing Australia.

'Sometimes people forget that scoring the runs is the most important thing and not how you get them. That's how I've always approached it. Bangladesh have upset a few sides along the way so we need to make sure we don't let them upset us.'

Some might debate the value of cashing in on a poor attack on a pitch so benign that the notorious Aussie rabbit Jason Gillespie managed to amass a double-hundred here.

No contest: Stuart Broad did the early damage

But it is hardly the fault of the England vice-captain that no-one appears to be standing behind the open door that they are currently pushing, hence an almost palpable sense throughout his innings of 'someone's got to score another big hundred and it may as well be me'.

And as it was his first ton since making 162 against West Indies in Trinidad just over a year and 20 innings ago, why on earth not?

Collingwood, who now owns eight all-comers' records for various partnerships at grounds throughout the world, refused to rate this innings in relation to his other centuries and wisely declined the invitation to describe it as the easiest.

More significantly, when he reverse-swept the single to reach 91, he took his career tally past 4,000.

He hoisted that to 4,054 with 10 fours and four sixes in his innings and again underlined his value to the side as the batsman who can find a way when other, possibly greater talents cannot - a quality England will need in the autumn.

After the declaration, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann did what they and England expected.

Broad showed no sign of the back trouble that made him a doubt for this match and all the hostility his side were hoping for when bouncing opener Imrul Kayes to bits at 13 for one, then catching Janaed Siddique off his own bowling at 27 for two.

Then Swann performed his party trick of taking a wicket in the first over of his spell, having Aftab Ahmed caught at short leg by Bell and, after Mahamudullah offered some fight with 51, grabbing two more to finish the second day with three for 40.

'It's unbelievable about Swanny and we do mention it in the changing room all the time,' said Collingwood. 'We expect him to get a wicket when he comes on, so maybe we should bring him on for one over and take him off before bringing him back after 10!

'It's an important series for us because we have some important cricket coming up and we want to give ourselves the best chance, which means winning as much as possible.

'We'll not be getting complacent because it can be tough over here and we don't want them to get a sniff.'